Let me present to you one of the crimes that came with the house we purchased:
Actually, there are two crimes in this photo. The first is clearly the giant hole in the wall surrounding the light switch in my pantry. Not only is this an atrocious sight, it also leaks out a ton of air. Not very energy wise. The second is the annoying electrical wire that is attached to the surface mount light fixture. Why does the wire have to be visible on the surface of the wall?? And if we must nitpick, let’s also acknowledge the third crime of yet another bare bulb in our house. But I shall address this issue in a future post.
Before I tackled the much needed project of organizing my pantry, I had to address the gaping hole and visible electrical cord. Here are the supplies you’ll need to repair a hole in drywall:
Supply List
• Sheetrock in the same thickness as your wall, most are 1/2″ thick
(24×24 tile can be purchased if you only need to patch a small hole like I did)
• Keyhole saw
• Drywall mesh tape (this is crucial for holes that aren’t near stud)
or Drywall screws (if your hole is near a stud)
• Drywall compound
• Spackle blade
• Fine grit sandpaper
• Utility knife with sharp blades (optional)
Step-by-Step
Before I dove in with repairing the hole, I had to do something about the wire. As I didn’t want to call in an electrician, I decided I’d do the best I could with making the wire disappear. I buried it behind the wall by cutting a slit the length of the wire for it to slip through. This left about a couple inches of wire exposed near the light fixture and I felt I could live with that. I was finally able to do some drywall patching!
So, let’s get started on the hole repair!
Step 1
If your hole is not square, it is best to square up your hole first so that cutting the sheetrock piece will be easier. A utility knife can be used to square up the hole.
Step 2
Tape the sheetrock piece to your wall with mesh tape. If your hole is near a stud, skip the mesh tape and screw the sheet rock piece in place with drywall screws. My hole was not near any studs, so I used mesh tape to keep the sheetrock in place.
Step 3
Apply a layer of drywall compound over the taped area. Keep your layers thin so that dry time will be quicker. This also means there is less to sand.
Step 4
Sand wall of all bumps and hills when compound completely dries. Repeat steps 3-4 until tape is thoroughly covered. I applied about four coats before I got my tape covered very nicely.
And that’s it! I was quite surprised to find out how easy it was to repair this hole. My wall looks a million times better and the pantry is beautifully organized. Two house crimes solved in one go! Here are a few photos post wall repair:
The electrical wire is buried behind the wall (where it should be!) and once I installed the light cover, you can’t see the few inches of wire closest to the light bulb. This was definitely worth the savings of hiring an expensive electrician!
• Related Post: Pantry Makeover
• Related Post: A Bare Bulb Gets A Lamp Shade (Ikea Hack)
What do you think of my repaired wall? Have you done any work like this?
PROJECT SUMMARY:
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Total Cost: All my supplies were purchased at Home Depot. My total expenses totaled out to roughly $35 after taxes, including the purchase of the 24×24 sheetrock tile, drywall compound, mesh tape, and saw. I already had the sandpaper at home. Oh, word of advice on the drywall compound: pay a little extra for the no dust kind - it’ll save you a ton of headache!
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Total Time: I didn’t count the hours, but it took about the better part of half my day to cut into the drywall for the wire burial and waiting for the compound to dry between coats. Dry time between coats was relatively quick because I applied very thin layers.
I’ve linked up this project at these parties here.
Perfect timing. I read your blog after you commented on my kitchen remodel post. I’d mentioned in that post, the ceiling drywall patches I’ll need to do. Thanks for the post! Easy fix. Cheers, J
That’s so great! I hope you’ll find my tutorial easy to follow. Let me know if you have any questions! ~M.
Another trick I’ve recently discovered is to use Plaster of Paris instead of joint compound for repairs like this. You can apply it thick and it will be ready to sand and paint in less than an hour. It’s also less likely to shrink and crack, but the fiberglass tape helps with that too.
Cool! Thanks for the tip! ~M.
I don’t know if there is a significant different between various Plaster of Paris brands and formulas, but this is the one I’ve used with good results:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_41324-68-10313_0__?productId=3033244